Synopsis

An Instant New York Times Bestseller!

Contains an extended excerpt from The Gilded Wolves.

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire...

But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself.

A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget.

An interesting read

Disclaimer: I received this novel in exchange for an honest review and this in no way affects my opinion of the book.
I was beyond excited to find out I was able to participate in this blog tour hosted by St. Martin's Press and to have the honor to read and review The Star-Touched Queen. I had heard so much love and excitement for this novel from fellow bloggers and I could not wait to get my hands on it.
This novel has such an interesting idea behind it that I couldn't wait to dive right. Maya is an interesting character who had a tough childhood as she is cursed--cursed with a horoscope that tells of a marriage paired with death and destruction. Even though Maya was paired with such a devastating horoscope, she grew up to be a strong, independent woman. Set to grow up and never marry, Maya is shocked when she learns her father plans to arrange a marriage of political convenience to quell rebellions. What happens at the ceremony changes the direction Maya's life is headed.
I quite enjoyed the characters in this story with Amar and Kamala being my favourites. Amar was very swoon-worthy and I really enjoyed his quick wit and how he actually treated Maya as his equal. Kamala was a hilarious character and even though she wasn't someone you'd normally want to keep around, I loved her. I enjoyed the strength of both Amar and Maya and I loved how feisty Maya was.
I found this novel to be paced a little quickly and I found the ending felt a little rushed. I even had to reread a bit of the ending to realize that it had fully ended and wouldn't have a sequel. Despite this, I did enjoy the novel and will most likely pick up the companion novel that Chokshi is currently working on. Make sure to check this one out for yourself and enjoy the world Chokshi creates.

door Alice (Alice's Book Vault)op 16 juli, 2016

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3,0

Ending a bit Rushed

This review was first published on Kurt's Frontier.
Synopsis:
Maya’s horoscope promises a marriage of death and destruction. This earns her scorn and fear in her father’s kingdom. With marriage seeming an unlikely prospect, Maya opts for more scholarly pursuits. Then, her father offers her hand for a wedding of political convenience to quell a rebellion. However, she is the bait in a trap. To spring it, she must kill herself. However, a man steals into her bedchamber to claim her. Amar makes her the queen of Akaran. Saved from the political necessity of suicide, she finds her voice and power.
But, Akaran has its own secrets. There are many locked doors, and her life is soon in danger. She begins to wonder if her husband can be trusted. The human and otherworld are in peril. She must sort through ancient mysteries and past reincarnation to save those she loves.
Review:
The Star-Touched Queen is a fantasy based on ancient Indian mythology. It has a slow start but becomes interesting as Maya begins to unravel the mysteries surrounding her. Amar could be called the king of the dead. I would say his realm is the crossroads between life, death, and reincarnation. Maya is being tutored in the use of her powers. Unfortunately, circumstances compel Amar to keep secrets from her. This, in turn, causes her to doubt him. This is especially true when voices through the halls of Akaran tell her not to trust him. Who can she believe?
The book involves a political intrigue and betrayal. Maya must recover from an error in judgment and misplaced trust. The element of reincarnation adds a bit of confusion, similar to various time travel novels. This sets up the ending to an extent, making it seem a little less deus ex machina. The resolution seems a bit rushed, but it is still an engaging novel.

door kspringsop 20 juni, 2018

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5

Fantastic book

I was hooked right away. The writing is beautiful and the story is fantastic. The characters were great and the tale was new to me.

door Amandaop 15 april, 2017

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5

Perfect YA Fantasy

4.5*
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This is magnificent and beautiful. Chokshi's writing is beautiful and flows nicely so that you get lost in her world while feeling like you being woven into the story. This is a story of learning who you are and of a love that transcends time. I highly recommend it.
I loved Maya. She was knowledgeable and fiesty and didn't want to sit around and wait for her life to happen. But she also acted too quickly without learning all the information. And that made her perfectly imperfect. It was a bit frustrating as the reader because she would overhear some of the story and make decisions based on that but it fit with her character. I liked that she realized she screwed up and tried to make amends for it.
I also really liked Amar. I liked his strength and determination to have Maya be his equal. I also really liked that he wasn't just saying she was his equal, but took steps to prove it was true. I would have liked to know more about him and his past but I am very satisfied with his story arc.
I think some of the secondary characters were well developed, her Father and Gauri especially. I felt like I knew them and could understand their wants and emotions. I liked seeing their lives through the eyes of Maya because while we got her perspective on things, it also shed some light as to how others saw her. I also really liked that the other characters had their own paths, or threads if you will, and that they just happened to cross with Maya's. And while Maya was something that brought them together, they were still able to continue on with their lives after she was gone. I like when secondary characters have their own agency.
I would have liked a bit more from the beginning. I thought the initial move to the Night Bazaar into Nakara was a little difficult to follow. Not overly difficult but enough that it gave me pause while I was reading. It was a little rushed and I would have liked just a bit more time spent on the wedding portion so I could understand a bit more. But once we got into the swing of things, this was easily one of the best YA Fantasy books I've read.
This is rich, lush, and filled with the intricacies of learning who you are while learning to love. If you haven't already, pre-order this one immediately. It is going to knock your socks off.

door Jamie @ Books and Laddersop 26 april, 2016

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4,0

Beautiful writing, a strong debut!

A mesmerizing book; rich, beautiful prose and lovely story telling. Strong debut from this author, looking forward to reading more of her work!